Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord De Mauley: My Right Hon Friend the Secretary of State (Owen Paterson) has today made the following statement.
	A key element in the comprehensive strategy this Government is finalising to eradicate bovine TB (bTB) in England within 25 years is successfully tackling the disease reservoir in the badger population.
	Culling is only one part of our approach to tackle the spread of TB. We are using every tool available including tougher movement controls for cattle (the latest of which I announced to the House on 28th November (Col.23WS)), better biosecurity on farms and working to develop effective and usable cattle and badger vaccines. We continue to make good progress on all aspects of our draft strategy to eradicate the disease in England within 25 years.
	The two badger control pilots, in Somerset and Gloucestershire, were designed to test the assumption that controlled shooting is a safe, humane and effective means of reducing badger numbers.
	Natural England granted an 8-week extension in Gloucestershire on 23rd October, in line with the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO)’s advice.
	Today I am announcing to the House that the extension period in Gloucestershire concluded on Saturday, 30th November at the behest of the cull company and the NFU, with the agreement of Natural England to coincide with the end of the open season for cage trapping.
	The aim of the extension was to achieve the earliest and greatest possible impact on bTB in the area, in line with the CVO’s advice that a further significant reduction of the badger population in the first year would increase the likelihood of disease benefits in cattle over the full four years of the cull.
	The decision to extend has been shown to be the right one, with significant numbers of badgers removed at the point that the extension was ended. In the additional 5 weeks and 3 days of culling, 213 badgers have been removed, giving an overall total of 921. This represents a reduction of just under 40% in the estimated badger population before culling began.
	The extension in Gloucestershire has therefore been successful in meeting its aim in preparing the ground for a fully effective four year cull. In the Randomised Badger Culling Trial there was a range of culling effectiveness across the ten areas in the first year of the culls, but the trial still showed overall benefits at the end of sustained culling and these benefits have been maintained for at least a further seven years. The two pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset have similarly shown a range of culling effectiveness and at the end of four years of sustained culling long-term overall benefits can be expected to be delivered.
	The Independent Panel of Experts will now consider the information collected during the pilots on the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of controlled shooting. This will inform my decision on the wider roll-out of badger control in those parts of England most severely affected by this disease. The Independent Panel of Experts report will be made available to Parliament and the general public at that time.
	While there are important lessons to learn, completing two pilots this year has been a significant achievement and is another major step towards halting the spread of bTB.
	I would like to pay tribute to the local farmers and landowners who have undertaken the pilots in both areas, often in difficult terrain and weather, and often in the face of intimidation by a small minority who resorted to widespread criminality in their determination to stop this disease control policy.
	It is unacceptable that in the ten years to 31 December 2012, more than 305,000 cattle were compulsorily slaughtered as reactors or direct contacts in Great Britain. Moreover, since 1 January to August, a further 22,512 otherwise healthy cattle have been slaughtered solely because of bovine TB.
	Controlling the disease in wildlife is and will remain a key part of our TB Strategy – no country has successfully dealt with TB without tackling the disease in both wildlife and cattle. This Government is resolved to do this.
	Achieving this aim will require long-term solutions and considerable national resolve. This Government is committed to tackling the disease in all reservoirs and by all available means.

Child Support

Lord Freud: My honourable friend the Minister for Pensions (Steve Webb MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 5 November 2013, the Government published its response to the consultation “Supporting separated families; securing children’s futures” (Cm 8742). This response outlines important changes that we have made to our proposed strategy for closing existing Child Support Agency cases and introducing fees for the new 2012 child maintenance scheme.
	Today we intend to lay the draft Child Support Fees Regulations 2014 and the draft Child Support (Ending Liability in Existing Cases and Transition to New Calculation Rules) Regulations 2014, the primary effects of which will be to introduce application, collection and enforcement fees for the 2012 child maintenance scheme and to begin the process of ending liability on all 1993 and 2003 scheme Child Support Agency cases.
	These draft Regulations are subject to the affirmative procedure and I look forward to discussing them with colleagues in the New Year.

Correction to Lords Written Answer

Lord Deighton: I wish to inform the House that an error has been identified in the written answer given to Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth at Official Report 25 November 2013 col 246W.
	The full answer given was:
	Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown by region of the take-up of the Help to Buy Scheme. HL3362
	The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government wants current and future generations to experience the benefits of owning their own home, in the same way their parents were able to. Since the financial crisis, larger deposit requirements and falling equity values mean many credit-worthy households cannot get a mortgage, or are trapped in their existing homes unable to take the next step.
	On 8 October, the Government published the scheme rules for the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme, allowing lenders to sign up to the Scheme and originate mortgages that will be eligible for the Scheme when it opens in January.
	In the one month since the publication of the scheme rules on 8 October, more than 2,000 people had put in applications to lenders under the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme totalling £365m of new mortgage lending.
	Once the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme opens in January, the Government will collect data on mortgages covered by the guarantee, and will report in due course.
	The correct answer should have been:
	Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth:
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown by region of the take-up of the Help to Buy Scheme. HL3362
	The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government wants current and future generations to experience the benefits of owning their own home, in the same way their parents were able to. Since the financial crisis, larger deposit requirements and falling equity values mean many credit-worthy households cannot get a mortgage, or are trapped in their existing homes unable to take the next step.
	On 8 October, the Government published the scheme rules for the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme, allowing lenders to sign up to the Scheme and originate mortgages that will be eligible for the Scheme when it opens in January.
	In the one month since the publication of the scheme rules on 8 October, more than 2,000 people had put in applications to lenders under the Help to
	Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme totaling £365m of new mortgage lending. The table below shows the breakdown by region of applications received by RBS in the one month following the publication:
	
		
			 Region Number of Applications Percentage of total 
			 North 36 3.3% 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 87 8.1% 
			 North West 159 14.8% 
			 East Midlands 89 8.3% 
			 West Midlands 81 7.5% 
			 East Anglia 30 2.8% 
			 South East 228 21.2% 
			 Greater London 83 7.7% 
			 South West 91 8.5% 
			 Wales 44 4.1% 
			 Scotland 124 11.5% 
			 Unspecified 23 2.1% 
			 Grand total 1,075 100% 
		
	
	(Source: RBS)
	Once the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme opens in January, the Government will collect data on mortgages covered by the guarantee, and will report in due course.

Eastern Partnership Summit

Baroness Warsi: My right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington), has made the following written Ministerial statement:
	My Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister attended the third Eastern Partnership Summit on 28-29 November 2013 in Vilnius, Lithuania. My Right Honourable and Noble Friend The Baroness Warsi accompanied him. The Summit was attended by Heads of State and Government or representatives of the European Union Member States and Eastern Partnership member countries. President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso; President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy; President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz; The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, The Baroness Ashton of Upholland; Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Füle; and the Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht were also in attendance for parts.
	28 November 2013
	The President of the Republic of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, chaired a working dinner for the Heads of State and Government, which the Prime Minister attended. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Ashton of Upholland also chaired a working dinner for Ministers of Foreign Affairs. My Right Honourable Friend The Baroness Warsi attended. Both dinners focused on the future of the Eastern Partnership. The
	Prime Minister welcomed the signing and initialling of the agreements (listed below) due to take place on the 29 November; they mark a significant step forward in the EU’s relationship with the region. He expressed disappointment with Ukraine’s decision to put on hold the preparations for signature of its Association Agreement the EU, but made clear that the door is still open in the future.
	29 November 2013
	In the presence of the Heads of State and Government the Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Azerbaijan on facilitating visas (relevant for Schengen member countries only); the Agreement between the EU and Georgia establishing a framework for the participation of Georgia in EU crisis management operations; the Agreements between the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States and Georgia and the Republic of Moldova were signed. The Association Agreements, incorporating Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas, between the EU and Georgia and the Republic of Moldova were also initialled.
	Heads of delegation then convened at the plenary session where the UK was represented by my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister and subsequently by My Right Honourable Friend The Baroness Warsi. The discussion focused on welcoming the progress made by Georgia and Moldova and looking to the future of the Eastern Partnership. The majority of EU Member States also expressed disappointment that Ukraine was not signing its Association Agreement with the EU. All delegations agreed that the Eastern Partnership offers opportunities for increased prosperity and support for reform in Eastern partner countries, which should enhance their wider relationships in the region.
	In discussion with other Heads of State and Government, the Prime Minister made the case for the need to reform welfare rules and return the concept of free movement of people within the EU to a more sensible basis, as an essential step to regain the trust of people in member states in future enlargement of the EU.

Education: National Curriculum

Lord Nash: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education (Rt Hon Michael Gove MP) made the following announcement: On 11 September 2013, I published the new national curriculum for all subjects except for English, mathematics and science at key stage 4.
	Today, I am publishing for consultation the programmes of study for English and mathematics at key stage 4. The consultation will run until 3 February 2014. On 1 November we published the new GCSE subject content for English language, English literature and mathematics. It is important to consider these programmes of study alongside the GCSE subject content to ensure that the curriculum and qualifications are fully coherent.
	The programme of study in mathematics at key stage 4 is more challenging. It has been drafted by experts to ensure that it sets expectations that match those in the highest-performing jurisdictions. There is broader and deeper mathematical content with a focus on application of mathematical knowledge and skills to solve problems. The content is closely aligned to GCSE content. More challenging content specifically for higher achieving students is explicitly identified. There is a focus on consolidation and building on key stage 3, emphasising that mathematics is an interconnected subject. The proposals will provide better preparation for post-16 mathematics by providing foundations for advanced topics like calculus.
	In English, the programme of study has been strengthened to ensure all pupils read a wide range of high-quality, challenging and classic English literature. There is a renewed focus on the reading of whole texts which should include at least one play by Shakespeare, works from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and poetry since 1789, including Romantic poetry. The language requirement is also more demanding and pupils will be expected to speak fluently and use linguistic and literary terminology effectively and confidently in their written and spoken English.
	The programmes of study for English and mathematics will be introduced from September 2015, alongside first teaching of the new qualifications. We will be consulting on science at key stage 4 in the spring of 2014 in line with the timetable for the development of the new science qualifications.
	Copies of the consultation on programmes of study for key stage 4 English and mathematics will be placed in both House libraries.

Employment: Parental Leave and Pay

Viscount Younger of Leckie: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Jo Swinson) has made the following statement
	We are introducing a new system of Shared Parental Leave through the Children and Families Bill, which is currently before Parliament, and secondary legislation. It is our intention that the new system be workable and easy to manage for both employers and employees.
	Today, I am publishing the Government’s response to the Consultation on the Administration of Shared Parental Leave and Pay which sets out the final detail on how the system will work in practice and the processes that will need to be followed.
	We intend to:
	• require employees to provide employers with a non-binding indication at the outset of when they expect to take shared parental leave and at least 8 weeks notice of any leave they will actually be taking;• introduce a fixed limit on the number of notifications an employee can give to take shared parental leave. The number of notifications will be capped at 3 (the first notification and 2 further
	notifications or changes). This will be in addition to the notification of entitlement and the non-binding indication of when they expect to take the leave when parents opt into shared parental leave. We will make provisions for changes that are mutually agreed between the employer and employee to not count towards the cap.• set the cut off point for taking shared parental leave at 52 weeks following birth (or adoption); • create a new provision for each parent to have up to 20 days to support them in returning to work —parents will be able to use these days to return to work on a part-time basis and will be in addition to the 10 Keeping in Touch (KIT) days available during maternity leave; • maintain the right to return to the same job for employees returning from any period of leave that includes maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave that totals 26 weeks or less in aggregate; even if the leave is taken in discontinuous blocks. Any subsequent leave will attract the right to return to the same job, or if that is not reasonably practicable, a similar job.
	We also intend to:
	• align the notification periods for paternity leave and pay; • protect mothers who give binding notice to opt into shared parental leave prior to giving birth, by introducing a right to revoke the notice up to six weeks following birth;• produce guidance to encourage employees who qualify under the new fostering-for-adoption placement process to give employers as much warning as possible.
	I have arranged for copies to be put in the House libraries.

Energy: Oil and Gas Licences

Baroness Verma: My right honourable friend the Minister Of State for Energy (Michael Fallon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	After thorough consideration of the final applications made in the 27th offshore oil and gas licensing round, I am pleased to be able to announce a second tranche of offers of 52 production licences.
	This follows a screening assessment of the blocks applied for in the Round which concluded that 61 blocks which were close to, or in, certain Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), should be subject to full Appropriate Assessments as required by the EU Habitats and Birds Directives and the UK implementing Regulations. Appropriate Assessments are conducted where the screening assessment shows that oil and gas activities could have significant effects on those SACs and SPAs and include a public consultation. These assessments have now been completed and conclude that the proposed oil and gas activities will not cause an adverse effect on the integrity of relevant European Sites as defined in the Habitats and Birds Directives.
	This series of offers further demonstrates the continuing attractiveness both of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf as an oil and gas producing province and of our approach to offering a range of licences meeting a diverse range of needs.
	Details of the offers that have been made can be viewed on the GOV.UK website here:
	https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds

EU: Eurojust

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Security (James Brokenshire) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
	The Government has decided not to opt in to the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Co-operation (Eurojust) at this time. The Government will, however, conduct a thorough review of the final agreed text to inform active consideration of opting into the Eurojust Regulation post adoption.
	The Government values UK membership of Eurojust as currently established where Eurojust’s role is about providing support and co-ordination to investigations and prosecutions in cases of cross border crime. That is why the Government are seeking to rejoin those arrangements as part of the 2014 opt out decision. However, the Commission’s new proposal creates substantial concerns; most notably by extending the mandatory powers of Eurojust National Members and through the proposed interaction between Eurojust and the parallel proposal for the establishment of a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
	As confirmed in the Coalition Agreement, the Government will not participate in the establishment of any EPPO.
	We will remain a full and active participant in both the Eurojust and EPPO negotiations to defend our national interests.

Jimmy Savile

Earl Howe: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State, Department of Health (Jeremy Hunt) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I promised to update the House about the investigations into Jimmy Savile and the NHS in my written statement on 14 October, Official Report, col 39ws.
	The Metropolitan Police Service has completed its document review and transferred various material concerning Jimmy Savile and the NHS to the Department of Health. The information has been passed onto the relevant hospital trust for further investigation as appropriate. Names of the hospitals are taken from
	the information received. These include hospitals that may have closed in which case the information has been passed onto the legacy organisation.
	Kate Lampard, who was asked to provide independent assurance of the NHS investigations on behalf of the Department of Health, will provide general assurance of the quality of all reports in her final assurance report. We expect the final reports of all the investigations to be completed by June 2014, with publication sooner if that is possible.
	Information has been passed on by the Department to the 19 trusts who have responsibility for the relevant hospitals as set out in the table below:
	
		
			  Hospital Relevant Trust 
			 1. Barnet General Hospital Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 2. Booth Hall Children’s Hospital Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			 3. De La Pole Hospital Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust 
			 4. Dryburn Hospital County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust 
			 5. Hammersmith Hospital Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 
			 6. Leavesden Secure Mental Hospital Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust 
			 7. Marsden Hospital The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 
			 8. Maudsley Hospital South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 
			 9. North Manchester General Hospital The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 10. Odstock Hospital Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust 
			 11. Pinderfields Hospital Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 12. Prestwich Psychiatric Hospital Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 
			 13. Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 
			 14. Royal Free Hospital, London Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust 
			 15. Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			 16. Seacroft Hospital, Leeds The Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust 
			 17. St Mary’s Hospital, Carshalton Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 18. Whitby Memorial Hospital York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 
			 19. Wythenshawe Hospital University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

Local Government Ombudsman Service

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: My Hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis) made the following Written Ministerial Statement on 29 November 2013.
	Earlier this year my rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State commissioned an independent Governance Review of the Local Government Ombudsman service.
	I am today publishing a report of that Review with its conclusions and recommendations, and announcing the Government’s response.
	The Review, undertaken by Robert Gordon CB, a former Director General in the Scottish Government, has examined the institutional structures and accountability of the Local Government Ombudsman service. These structures consist of two or more Local Ombudsmen, who are Office Holders appointed by Her Majesty, and who are responsible for determining cases, and a Commission comprising of the Local Ombudsmen and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman; one of the Local Ombudsman is Chairman of the Commission and another is vice-Chairman. Currently there are two Local Ombudsmen.
	The Review concludes that these current structures and governance arrangements are outdated and insufficient. The Review recommends that as soon as practicable these arrangements should be reformed so that there is only one Local Ombudsman, supported by a Board including the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and strengthened by the addition of one or two non-executive members.
	The Government shares these conclusions, and intends, as Parliamentary time allows, to seek the necessary legislation to enable there to be a single Local Ombudsman with a strengthened Board, including the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, and with two non-executive members. We believe such governance arrangements will provide more robust and consistent leadership and help drive performance, delivery and further reform of the service.
	The Review also highlighted a number of questions about the wider ombudsmen landscape with the reviewer concluding that in the medium term consideration should be given to the creation of a unified public services ombudsman for England.
	On 16 October my rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for Government Policy (Oliver Letwin) announced to the Public Administration Select Committee that he was launching two separate reviews—one to look into the question of how better use can be made of complaints to achieve both redress for the citizen and improvement in service delivery and the other to look at the question of the ombudsmen landscape.
	In the context of these reviews and having regard to any conclusions of the relevant Select Committees, we intend to develop and test ideas for a model for creating a single public services ombudsman for England. In exploring the scope for a single ombudsman we must establish if it will deliver a better service for all, and ensure it does not in any way weaken or slow processes by which people, including patients with complaints about health services, can escalate those complaints. The aim must always be to ensure that redress for people who complain about public services, including health, is as straightforward, speedy, and satisfactory as possible.
	I have placed a copy of the Review in the Library of the House.

National Fraud Authority

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: My right hon Friend the Home Secretary (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:
	As part of the Government’s reforms to policing and the fight against serious and organised crime, I have decided to close the National Fraud Authority and realign its responsibilities to reflect the creation of the National Crime Agency.
	The National Crime Agency, with its Economic Crime Command, will bring a single national focus to cutting economic crime and will lead and co-ordinate the national fight against fraud, working with law enforcement agencies, regulators, Government and the public, private and voluntary sectors. While the National Fraud Authority has been successful in raising awareness of fraud and improving co-ordination, the focus should
	now be on cutting economic crime. The National Fraud Authority will close by 31 March 2014 and its functions will be transferred as follows: Strategic development and threat analysis will be led by the National Crime Agency; Action Fraud, the national fraud and financially-motivated internet crime reporting centre, will become the responsibility of the City of London Police, to create a stronger end-to-end fraud reporting and analysis system; Work to raise awareness of fraud, including delivery of the national e-confidence campaign, will transfer to the Home Office; and Development of the Counter Fraud Checking Service will be led by the Cabinet Office.
	The closure of the National Fraud Authority will strengthen the Government’s fight against economic crime by concentrating effort into law enforcement bodies and improving the fraud reporting and analysis service. The changes will further support the National Crime Agency’s role in leading the fight against serious and organised crime.